Hey everyone, I'm new and seriously need some feedback.
I've been on Adderall xr 20mg for four days now and have felt like total crap since day one--with VERY brief interludes where I feel fine and productive but still "off". After taking the pill in the morning, on an empty stomach or with a light meal (like a granola bar+water), within an hour I become:
-ridiculously forgetful
-irritable
-hyperfocused
-antisocial (even talking to friends becomes a chore)
-unmotivated
-slow
-anorexic
after it starts to wear off I become...
-nauseated
-pessimistic
-depressed
-extremely fatigued
-sore everywhere
-very hungry
-zombie like
On the plus side, I am less anxious than usual and I'm able to block out distractions and intrusive thoughts that have plagued me in the past, which is such a relief.
Are these symptoms normal for the first few days on the medication? Do you think they'll ever stop? I don't know if I even have ADHD. Recently I went to a psychiatrist and spoke with him for about 10 minutes before he diagnosed me and wrote out a prescription. Needless to say, I have my doubts. I mean, yeah I have trouble concentrating and have to reread material over and over to get it sometimes, but if I do in fact have ADHD, why is the adderall making my symptoms worse?
I thought maybe my dosage was too high, so I opened up the capsule and emptied half the contents onto some pudding. The results were similar, but I didn't crash as hard and I became EXTREMELY forgetful...like, I parked in front of my apartment door, illegally, so I could unload my laundry, but when I got inside I forgot about my laundry and left my car awkwardly parked on the sidewalk for about 3 hours. Luckily, no one complained. This is seriously abnormal behavior for me, and I know the adderall is the culprit.
It seems like Adderall makes me less "sharp". It helps me block out intrusive thoughts and focus on one thing at a time but in exchange I become slow and sloth like. And I'm unable to multitask!
I have trouble thinking, speaking, and piecing sentences together. Even now I'm struggling to say what I want to say! It's so awful. Why do you think this is happening to me? Has anyone else had these problems? Did they go away? Thanks in advance.

Sounds to me like you do not have ADD.
Who if anyone diagnosed you?

Stimulants gave me irritability and sore muscles too. It sounds pretty common. Esp with a strong drug like Adderall.

ur body may not like levoamphetamine and 2 other racemic salts

Ask your Doctor about switching to generic dextroamphetamine barr 5 mg tabs

itll drop half the Sfx, then u must also get used to dosages

Your Doctor may start you at a low dose where u dont feel, move up in halves to get to dose

IMO, adderall isnt as good as dex unless u dont have any anxiety from levoamp and u need extra movement stimulation

There are many alternatives, and not responding to add meds doesnt mean u dont have add, some meds work diff for people w/add, some get euphoria, some dont, some get comedowns,some down,etc..

Talk to your Doctor!

First off...welcome to the boards addiexr! This is a wonderful source for information or just getting to others like us.

Can I ask what your exact diagnosis was? Have you tried any other ADD drugs besides Adderall?

A lot of ppl diagnosed mainly H find that Ritalin/Concerta are a better fit for them. A good majority of the side effects you're listing are ones I got while on Concerta. Me and Ritalin just don't mix well.

There are so many different drugs out there for treating ADD that it's really trial and error. And don't listen to whoever said you don't have ADD. That MAY be a possibility, but more than likely you just haven't found the right drug for your body.

I'm on my 3rd stimulant and I'm still unsure if Adderall is the right drug for me. It's the only drug I've responded to so far, but I can't help but wonder if something else might work better for me.

I suggest talking to your doctor at your next appointment, or else call if the side effects get to be more than you can handle. I did Concerta for a week and quit because I just couldn't take it. Ask what some of your other drug options might be and RESEARCH them. I think the best thing you can do is to educate yourself on the drugs you're being prescribed. And by asking your doctor to tell you what your options are, they'll be more open to other stimulants because it's THEM giving the suggestions. You won't have to listen to accusations of drug seeking or high chasing.

Hope that helps a little

Adderall is not for everyone with ADD. It's the wrong medication for you, but that doesn't necessarily mean you don't have ADD. I have ADD but I didn't respond well to Adderall, so I switched to Dex. Much better!

There is a common misconception that everyone who has ADD will benefit from Adderall. It's not true. Everyone is different, you just have to find the medication and the dose that works for you.

Your symptoms are not normal for Adderall, so don't tolerate them, hoping they'll go away. If it's that bad, you need a different medication. There are options.

My son and daughter have been on several different medications for ADHD, it sounds like Adderall is not for you! Call the doctor and see what he thinks, he might prescribe something else.
Good Luck.

Your dose is either too high, or you don't have adhd.

Try lowering your dose and make sure you sleep 8 hours. Also Drink lots of water.


Hyperfocused is normal. I get antisocial if my dose is too high. Try 15mg XR and eat before you take it.

Psychiatrist are very quick to give out pills. It's what they do. It's how they get paid. ADHD is the most over diagonsed condition in the US. You should see another psychiatrist and get really tested for ADHD.

I'd like to thank everyone who replied to my post, thanks a lot!
and I have good news!
Okay so, I've been on Adderall XR 10mg for the last 2 days (taking only half of my 20 mg dose) and I'm very pleased with the results. Most of the negative side effects I had on 20mg aren't a problem anymore. I guess my dosage was too high and I just needed to let my body get used to the drug. The first 4 days were so horrible that I was ready to give up on Adderall entirely and ask for something else, thankfully I didn't. My memory has improved, I can concentrate for longer periods of time without getting bored, I'm WAY less anxious, and have an incredible urge to "get stuff done". So if there's anyone else out there having a hard time with the drug, give it at least a week! you won't regret it.

yup starting out at twenty milligrams may have been too high for you i would cut down to five or ten milligrams and slowly increase every few days as long as you are not having bad side effects if you get up to a dose where you are having the problems again back down by the five milligrams you last increased by and you should be at a dose that is better for you//

still having problems on five milligrams talk to your doctor as the meds prob arent right for you

katts

when i reread your original post i noticed you are on the longer lasting formulation so you would have to take a smaller portion of the capsule///

for example mix well into pudding or apple sauce cup and eat one half or one quarter depending on how much you want to cut your dose back
katts